


Fat Chance Cowritten with DoctorsDiva

by LorelaiSquared



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Adventure, F/M, Gen, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-10-04
Updated: 2009-10-04
Packaged: 2017-10-23 15:12:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/251763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LorelaiSquared/pseuds/LorelaiSquared
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Partners in Crime was all about the Doctor and Donna finding each other. Well, what if they found Rose too? Yeah, we know - Fat Chance!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part One

**Author's Note:**

> Authors' Notes: Co-written by doctorsdiva and lorelaisquared. We'd like to dedicate this to tardismate, our beta, for being so incredibly generous with her time, supportive of our efforts and enthusiastic about this project. We mean it when we say you are BRILLIANT. Thank you for everything. *giant hugs*

"Adipose Industries. How can I help you?" Tugging, for the fortieth time that morning, on the collar of her cheap uniform shirt, Rose wondered why she had ever thought this was a good idea. Yes, there was something fishy going on here and yes, it could possibly be alien, but what ever had made her think that this might be a good place to wait for the Doctor? He liked interesting and exciting, two words that could never be linked to this tiny cubicle.

A part of her wondered if he'd even come. Just because something was going on here, didn't mean he'd actually show up. For all she knew, he was off on some distant planet being chased by a group of angry aliens, or stuck in the past averting some kind of historical disaster.

She sighed and tapped her pen impatiently on the desk as she listened politely to the customer on the other end of the phone.

"No, I'm afraid we don't give out free pens, but you will receive our real, eighteen carat, Adipose industries pendant as a thank you for your custom." Rose almost yawned at the familiar words. The script was not exactly riveting and she needed a coffee. She finished the call with a less than heartfelt, "Thank you for choosing Adipose Industries."

She pulled out her earpiece, threw it on the desk and was about to make her way to the cafeteria when a familiar voice rang around the large office.

"Excuse me, everyone, if I could have your attention."

Rose stood up to see the familiar figure of Miss Foster, the office manager, standing in the centre of the room.

"On average, you're each selling forty Adipose packs per day. It's not enough. I want one hundred sales per person, per day. And if not, you'll be replaced. 'Cause if anyone is good at trimming the fat, it's me. Now. Back to it."

As Rose sat back down at her computer she heard a light tapping on the side of her cubicle. She turned to see a pleasant looking woman with ginger hair smiling at her.

"Hi, Donna Noble, Health and Safety. I was told I could speak to someone to get more information about Adipose?"

Rose gazed at her suspiciously for a moment; the woman had flashed her ID rather quickly and Rose felt a twinge of unease. Donna was staring at her, waiting for a response though, so after a beat, Rose finally gestured to an empty chair and said hesitantly, "Sure, I'd be happy to help you. What would you like to know?"

She spent the next few minutes explaining about the program and how it worked as Donna took notes on her pad.

All the time she was speaking Rose could not shake off a tingling feeling on her skin, not an itch exactly but it was bloody annoying. She couldn't help feeling that she should know what it was, but, as she had no idea, she kept on with her explanation.

"The box comes with 21 days' worth of pills, a full information pack, and our special free gift, an Adipose Industries pendant."

Donna nodded and took the pendant that Rose held. "I'll just need to keep this for testing. And I need a list of your customers. Could you print it off?"

Still weary, Rose nodded reluctantly. "Suppose so." She pressed 'print'. Donna was still chattering on, when, just on the edge of her hearing, Rose caught the ghost of a familiar voice and her breath caught in her throat. She jumped to her feet and her eyes scanned desperately around the room. Donna gave a start and then stood up too. "Is there a problem?" She looked warily at Rose, unsure of what she might do next.

Rose took one last, hopeful glance around the room and sat down heavily, her heart sinking with disappointment. "No, no problem. I just thought..." She suddenly remembered who she was talking to and trailed off, finishing with a feeble, "Never mind."

Donna sat down too and studied Rose sceptically for a moment before letting it go.

Only seconds later, and just out of sight, a tall pinstriped figure with really great hair, popped up above a neighbouring partition asking, "Where's the printer?"

"Where's the printer?" prompted Donna, wanting to get away from this rather strange girl and return to looking for the Doctor.

"Over there," Rose pointed half heartedly, "next to the plant."

Donna started wittering on about a code, but Rose didn't hear her, disappointment lying heavily on her chest. She couldn't breathe; she needed to get out of here. As much as it pained her, she was beginning to realize that maybe it was time she faced reality. She wasn't going to find the Doctor here.

Rose let out a big sigh as Donna's red hair swung out of sight. She stood and stretched, smiled weakly at the girl in the next cubicle and turned to leave by the staff exit.

xxxxx

The Doctor thanked the woman he'd been speaking to and sauntered over to the printer to retrieve his list. Half-way there he stopped in his tracks, his hearts racing as he looked toward a swinging door at the end of the room. He could have sworn he'd caught a familiar glimpse of blonde hair. Shaking his head at his own ridiculous imagination, he made his way out of the office, down through the basement tunnels, and onto the street. A prickling sensation ran over his skin as he emerged in the alley-way behind the building. He glanced over his shoulder, but all he could see was a blue car, parked a few feet from the TARDIS. He quickened his pace, wasting no time in entering his ship and shifting into the vortex.

Once he was drifting comfortably, he contemplated the sensation he'd felt a few moments before. He could have sworn he'd sensed another time traveler, but how was that possible? Unless... "Noooooo," he said out loud. "Impossible." A niggling in his brain reminded him of the blonde he'd seen leaving Adipose but he forced himself to block the image from his mind. Rose was gone. There was no possible way she could be here and hoping otherwise would only lead him to more heartache and pain. He couldn't take anymore of that. Not after everyone he'd lost so recently; the Master, Martha, Astrid...

He shook his head, angry with himself for dwelling on such thoughts and stuffed his hands deep into his trouser pockets. His fingers snagged on a fine chain and he pulled out the capsule that he'd been given by the Adipose Industries rep. He needed a distraction and this could be it. Placing it under the magnifier on the console he studied it carefully. It was time to solve the mystery. At least that would keep him busy for a while.

"Ohh, fascinating. Seems to be a bio-flip digital stitch, specifically for..." The sound echoed through the empty TARDIS and his voice petered off as he realised that there was no one to hear his explanation, no one to get excited about him finding the key to a mystery. Suddenly he wished Martha was still with him. At least when she was around he was able to keep his thoughts at bay, his memories locked away. But now, alone in this empty space that had once been filled with joy and laughter and Rose, he had no escape from himself and he felt almost as lonely as he had when she was first ripped away from him.

Scrubbing his hands across his face, he looked down at the yellow pages he had retrieved from the printer. Perhaps he should visit some customers of Adipose Industries, see what they had to say about their 'product'. Mercurial as always, his mood shifted and he began to lay in co-ordinates in a frenzied dance around the console. With a flick of the handbrake, the TARDIS landed with a thump and he was out of the door before the central column had come to rest. Checking the address against the list in his hand the Doctor tapped on the door.

As it opened, he flipped open the psychic paper and gave his best 'trust me' smile.

"Mr Roger Davey? I'm from Adipose Industries..."

xxxxx

Donna stood outside Stacy Campbell's bathroom and frowned. She'd come to ask her about the Adipose diet but now she was getting concerned. She heard another yelp and she tapped on the door. "Stacy? Are you all right? I wouldn't mind a little visit myself. Everything all right in there?" She knocked again. "Only me. Do you mind if I pop to the loo? Stacy?"

The lack of response sent fear coursing through Donna's veins. She knew something was not quite right with Adipose Industries, and she had a suspicion that it was potentially harmful to people like Stacy.

Suddenly, Stacy yelled, "Help me! Oh my God, help me!"

Donna frantically tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge. "What is it, what's wrong?" she shouted, "Stacy!"

Donna thrust her weight against the door continually as Stacy screamed in terror. The door finally burst open with an ear splitting crash only to reveal a pile of clothing.

"Stacy?" Donna called hopefully.

In response, a small, white blob with wide eyes and a single snaggle tooth climbed out of the heap of clothes and gurgled at her as it waddled to the window. She stared in utter disbelief as the creature stood on the windowsill, waving to her before it jumped down into the street.

Donna spun around and raced down the stairs, hurling herself out into the night, just in time to see a van driving away and no sign of the baby-like alien she'd seen in the loo.

A taxi pulled up, looking for Stacy. Donna, still in shock, could only say, "She's gone." The taxi driver, disgruntled, drove off leaving Donna standing alone in the deserted street.

She shuddered slightly as a twinge passed over her, similar to the feeling she'd had earlier when she'd met with the Adipose employee. She glanced over her right shoulder, failing to notice the familiar man standing on the adjacent street to her left.

Sighing, Donna turned away and walked reluctantly back to her car. It was time to go home. Perhaps her granddad would be able to offer her some perspective on the night's events.

xxxxx

On a scale of one to stupid, this was probably the most ridiculous thing Rose had ever done. She moved gingerly, trying to get comfortable. When she had thought of hiding in the ladies loos until everyone had gone home, she hadn't taken into account the cramped cubicles or the lack of anything but water to drink. She was tired, achy and miserable. If she couldn't find anything out tonight, that was it; she was giving up. Perhaps it was time to get in touch with control and ask for another shift. Maybe this time they could refine the co-ordinates a little, get closer to the TARDIS. She had spent the last two years jumping through dimensions, each time finding nothing. But this was her dimension, she was sure of it; could feel it in the way her spirit was lighter, her hopes just that little bit higher.

The sound of the main door opening made her freeze and she quietly lifted her feet to rest them on the toilet bowl. The click of heels on the tiles stopped in a cubicle a couple down from her and soon she heard a mobile ringing. A garbled, whispered, one sided conversation about cars and being in church struck Rose as funny and she had to fight not to laugh out loud. Then all was quiet. 'Funny,' she thought, 'didn't hear her leave.' Her curiosity got the better of her and Rose was about to leave when the squeak of trainers on the tiles stopped her. The cleaner? Couldn't be security, they were dressed like the S.A.S. around here, boots and all.

Rose squirmed, her skin itching all over. There must be something in this place she was allergic to. Oh, she really did need to get out of here once and for all. Who did she think she was kidding?

"We know you're in here, so why don't you make this nice and easy, and show yourself?" The strident voice of Miss Foster made Rose's stomach lurch. They had found her...what should she do? She felt panic setting in as she made ready to run, but the mantra she had used all this time ran through her head, calming her. 'What would the Doctor do?'

There was a bang as a stall door was thrust open and Rose jumped, nearly falling from her perch on the toilet seat. Her heart was racing as another bang followed the first.

"There you are," Miss Foster said in that sickeningly sweet tone of hers. Rose looked up, baffled to see the door to her stall still safely shut.

She heard a muffled gasp and flurry of scuffling after that. Then there were several thuds followed by the squeaking of trainers and the clicking of high heels that seemed to fade into the distance.

The room fell silent again and Rose had to take several deep breaths to get her heart rate to slow to a normal pace again. After about five minutes, she finally decided it was safe and crept out of her stall. She released a sigh of relief when she discovered that the rest of the loo was empty. She was nearly to the door when she heard some rustling coming from one of the other stalls. 'Oh, no,' she thought, panicking. 'What if one of the guards stayed behind?' Without sparing a second thought, Rose bolted from the room and took the stairs to the roof.

xxxxx

Miss Foster walked calmly into her office as the Doctor struggled against the two guards trying to drag him in behind her.

He was furious. He never got caught like this. Okay, well, maybe not never, but seldom, well, not often... It had taken him by surprise to such an extent that he'd been speechless.

"Tie him up," Miss Foster ordered, pointing to a chair in the centre of the room.

As the guards thrust him into the chair and they began to bind his hands, his words returned with a flourish.

"You can't do this Miss Foster. Do you have any idea who I am? What I'm capable of? You have no right seeding a level five planet." He paused for the barest of breaths, gaining great pleasure from the look of shock on her face. "Oh, yes, Miss Foster. I know exactly what you're up to. When the Shadow Proclamation hear about this they'll be sending the Judoon after you. And then what will happen, Miss Foster? Who will take the fall for breaking the law?"

"Oh no," Miss Foster purred, "I don't think anyone is going to find out, because, Mr..?" she raised her eyebrows in a question.

"Doctor."

"Doctor Who?"

"Just the Doctor. Perhaps you've heard of me?" He shot her his best Oncoming Storm glare but she merely shrugged. The Doctor felt a little crestfallen. That was a major blow to his not inconsiderable ego and he was about to bluster some more, when Miss Foster sat on the edge of the desk looking down at him, witheringly.

"No matter Doctor. Because soon, there won't be anything left of you to care." She pulled a capsule from beneath her shirt.

"That won't do anything to me; I haven't taken any Adipose tablets."

"Oh, but that's where you're wrong, Doctor." She stooped before him and stared directly into his eyes as she began to twist it. "That's just where you're wrong."

 _To Be Continued…_


	2. Part One

Rose raced up the stairs and burst through the fire door onto the roof. During her few days at Adipose Industries she had noticed a window washing cradle making its way up and down the office block and that seemed like the ideal way to get a bird's eye view of what was going on. She ran across to where the metal box was stowed. It hung, suspended over the edge of the building, swaying gently. Rose took a few seconds to figure out where the control panel was and how it worked, but she was soon gliding silently down the outside of the dark building, her gaze fixed on a single window several stories below that glowed with light.

As the cradle drew level with the window, the door of the office within swung open and two heavily armed men dressed in security uniforms began to enter. Rose ducked down under the level of the window ledge and, searching frantically in her pockets, managed to find the small listening device that was standard issue from Torchwood. She dialled the proper frequency on her ear piece and hooked it firmly over her ear. Reaching up slowly she placed the round microphone onto the glass. As she waited for someone inside to speak she could not help thinking that the Doctor would probably have used his stethoscope and she had to stifle a giggle at the thought.

As soon as the microphone touched the window, Rose heard a harsh, female voice say, "...Because soon, there won't be anything left of you to care."

Her heart beat faster and she began to worry that whoever had been captured was in real danger. She was just contemplating revealing herself in an attempt to save the person, when she heard a voice that made her breathing lapse and her chest pound.

"That won't do anything to me; I haven't taken any Adipose tablets." Could it be? Was it really _her_ Doctor?

The woman spoke again, "Oh, but that's where you're wrong, Doctor." Rose gasped, her eyes filling with tears. It was _him._ It had to be him. All this time, a year and a half of searching and she'd finally found him. The female continued as Rose stood up on shaky legs and risked peering into the window. "That's just where you're wrong."

Donna had followed the heavy footfalls of the armed goons along the winding corridors. She had no idea where she was and a little voice in the back of her head told her to 'Run', but she stayed low and kept moving. Finally she came to the outer door of a large office. She had worked in places like this before when she was temping: the 'Big Boss's' office. As the door to the inner office slammed shut she crept into the ante room and pressed her ear against the it.

"That's just where you're wrong."

Hardly daring to breathe Donna moved upward, hand over hand until she was staring through the porthole window. The scene in front of her almost made her cry out. It was only the sight of another, strangely familiar face, staring back at her from the window opposite that stopped her from barging into the room.

They gaped at each other a moment before Donna finally mouthed, "What are you doing here?"

Rose shook her head in amazement. That was the woman from the office, Health and Safety. "I was looking for him," she mouthed back, pointing first at her eyes and then through the window at the Doctor, who was smiling at Miss Foster, completely unawares.

Donna looked to where Rose was pointing. Her pulse suddenly increased as she saw the familiar messy hair and pin striped suit of the man she had been seeking for almost a year. Her jaw dropped open and she whispered, "Doctor?" She had to lean on the door jam for support so that she wouldn't fall over.

Her movement caught the Doctor's superior peripheral vision and he turned his head slightly, trying not to alert Miss Foster and her henchmen, who were standing behind him, to the arrival of someone else. Only his respiratory bypass stopped him from gasping in surprise at the face of Donna Noble framed in the window of the door. Miss Foster turned to reach for something on the desk and he couldn't help mouthing "What? WHAT?"

Donna was practically vibrating with excitement. It was all she could do to remain quiet as she mouthed, "Oh. My. God."

The Doctor was completely nonplussed. He glanced back at Miss Foster, who was pulling something out of a box behind the desk and had noticed nothing. Aware that any sudden move on his part would alert her, he simply raised his eyebrows and waggled them at her, silently shaping the word "How?"

Donna pointed to him, and then back to herself. Then she began to mouth her explanation, matching each word with actions. "Icame here, trouble, read about it, internet, I thought, trouble equals you! And this place is weird! Pills! So I hid. Back there. Crept along. Heard this lot. Looked. Saw her..." she pointed to the large window where Rose was watching their exchange with rapt fascination, her hands pressed against the glass.

The Doctor turned carefully to look over where Donna had indicated, saw Rose's face pressed against the window and then turned back. "Oh yes. Rose." he mouthed, oblivious to the implication of that statement.

Donna gasped, and quickly covered her mouth to muffle the sound. "ROSE?" She mouthed incredulously. shifting her gaze between them. Rose's eyes were fixed on the Doctor's face and Donna could see the silvery shimmer of tear tracks glistening on her cheeks. "As in Rose, Rose?" If the circumstances had been different, Donna would have jumped up and down and squealed with excitement.

Donna watched as the Doctor's eyes became round as saucers and his mouth dropped into an expression of disbelief as he suddenly processed that she was not an illusion or a mirage, but was actually, physically HERE! He turned again to look at the person staring at him through the window. His hearts beat faster as he took in the tear stained face of Rose Tyler; here, in this Universe, only a pane of glass away. "Rose!" he exclaimed silently.

Miss Foster's sarcastic voice broke up the reunion. "Am I interrupting something?"

The Doctor looked up, nodded and said, "Actually, yes," at the same moment that he used the sonic to release his hands. "Run!" he shouted, racing past the stunned body guards. He almost slammed the door into Donna in his haste to get to Rose. Donna felt his familiar, cool hand slip into hers a moment before she was pulled in his wake, racing to keep up with his long legs as he took the stairs to the roof two at a time.

They burst onto the roof just as Rose was climbing out of the window washing cradle. The Doctor turned and directed the sonic screwdriver at the lock fusing it shut.

"That'll keep them busy for a while," He grinned at Donna, then turned to where Rose was standing, the wind whipping gently at her hair.

He stopped, frozen in place and Donna could see that he was trembling. She looked across at Rose and realised that they were still millions of miles apart in their heads, even if their physical bodies were so very close.

"Go on Spaceman," Donna whispered softly. When he didn't move she added, "Don't just stand there like a ninny. Go to her." She gave him a gentle shove.

The movement was all he needed. Suddenly he was running, running toward Rose, _ROSE,_ the woman he'd thought he'd lost forever.

Her face lit up as he reached her and scooped her into his arms, pulling her into a massive hug. He spun her around as he held on to her more tightly than was actually necessary. "Oh, Rose," he murmured into her hair, his voice awash with wonder.

"Doctor?" Rose's voice shook with emotion and disbelief, it really was him, he really was here. "I've been looking everywhere for you, everywhere and everywhen..."

The Doctor shook his head. His Rose, he should have known she wouldn't stop until she found him again and now that she had, he was going to prove to her that she had made the right decision. Taking her face between his hands he moved forward. Rose felt his breath on her skin and closed her eyes, waiting for the touch of his lips, the thing she had craved for so very, very long.

There was a crash as the door behind Donna began to give way.

"You have got to be kidding me," Donna shouted as she began to run toward the shocked couple, still entwined in each others arms.

She grabbed their elbows and pushed them closer to the cradle. "Doctor, get your skinny arse moving," she ordered.

Rose chuckled as she was propelled forward. "Oh, I like _her_!"

They clambered up the stairs and into the precarious contraption, nearly tripping over each other in their haste. Rose stumbled and the Doctor caught her. As their bodies made contact he felt the urge to finish what they'd started a moment before.

An angry shriek from Miss Foster brought him back to his senses, however and he immediately sprang into action, aiming his sonic screwdriver at the lift controls. Donna pulled the lever and with a violent jerk, they began to descend from the roof, out of Miss Foster's grasp.

"Won't they just pull us back up again?" Rose asked, anxiety warring with excitement.

"No, no, no, cos I've locked the controls with a sonic cage. I'm the only one who can control it. Not unless she's got a sonic device of her own. Which is _very_ unlikely." The Doctor smiled down at Rose, still amazed that she was actually here.

The goofy grin that spread across Donna's face was soon replaced by a frown, as the cradle gave a sudden lurch. Donna craned her neck to see Miss Foster standing at the edge of the building, pointing a slim black object with a glowing blue end at the pulley on the roof. "Oh right, VERY unlikely!"

Before she could say another word, the cable frayed and broke in a shower of sparks, then the cradle tumbled forwards. With a scream Rose's hand was torn from the Doctor's and he watched, frozen as she fell away from his grasp. 'No! No not again.' He shuddered as an involuntary memory flashed through his mind. Suddenly he was back at Canary Wharf, back in that cursed room, watching as his beloved Rose was violently sucked toward the void. His throat was tight as he thrust the memory from his consciousness and returned to the present. His hearts thundered in his chest as he threw himself to the edge of the cradle, certain that he would see Rose's body hundreds of feet below.

To his extreme relief, the street below was empty. Rose was dangling over the edge of the cradle, hanging on tightly to a cable, but still there, and not broken like he'd imagined.

"Rose, hold on," he called his voice incredibly calm considering the frantic panic that was seizing him internally.

"Look out," Donna shouted as Miss Foster aimed her sonic device again. She grabbed the sonic screwdriver from the Doctor's hand and used it to deflect Miss Foster's attack. Miss Foster yelped and the object, which Donna now recognized as a pen, slipped from her grasp, tumbling end over end towards her. Donna hooked one arm around the remaining cable and stretching out caught it easily. She looked down at the Doctor in triumph. "HA! You're so useless sometimes," she crowed. Donna looked back to see that all the Doctor's attention was centred on Rose, still dangling eight feet below them. 'Suppose I'd better get used to that,' she thought wryly.

"Oi, Spaceboy! You're not going to save Rose by staring at her. Help me get through this window." She gestured to the window in front of her that she was attempting to break into by pounding on it with a wrench.

The Doctor cast one last, reluctant, and incredibly sad, glance at Rose before taking the screwdriver from Donna. It was only then that he noticed the Sonic pen in her hand. "Where did you get that?"

"I caught it when she dropped it. No thanks to you. Now hurry, if we're going to save Rose we can't waste time." Donna aimed the sonic pen at the window but apart from a blue glow on the glass, nothing happened.

"Here, give me that." The Doctor snatched the pen from Donna's hand and cycled through the settings until he found the one he wanted. As he ran it around the window frame Donna heard a distinct click as the dead lock seal disengaged.

"There," the Doctor grinned, "Easy peasy."

"Well! Thank YOU Mr Clever Clogs." Donna tugged the window open with an exasperated shout just as Rose screamed from below them.

The Doctor crawled back toward the edge of the cradle, panic overtaking him again. "Hold on, Rose."

"I am," she shouted back.

Donna shook her head, and climbed through the window muttering, "Men! Why can they never multitask?" She sighed, and raced forward. Apparently it was going to be up to her to 'Save Rose'. Reaching the door she took a wary look in both directions and then ran quickly down the stairs. Rose was about two floors down, she reckoned, so after the second flight of stairs she darted into the first office she found. Donna sighed with relief as she spotted Rose's booted legs hanging within reach.

Donna pulled the window open and reached out, just managing to hook Rose's feet. Carefully she manoeuvred them onto the windowsill and then shouted up at Rose, "I've got you!" Donna heard the Doctor's voice as he begged her to be careful but Rose had worked at Torchwood long enough to be able to get out of difficult situations. Moments later she was swinging into the room through the window.

"Brilliant!" Donna exclaimed.

"Bronze medal, gymnastics," Rose gasped in explanation.

"Well, you're much more impressive than useless Martian boy out there." Donna jabbed her thumb toward the lift which was still dangling outside the window two stories above. She returned her attention to Rose and beamed. "Although, I figured you would be, from the way the Doctor was always mooning over you." She pulled Rose into a spontaneous hug. "Oh, I'm so glad you're here. I've been wanting to meet you forever."

"Have you been travelling with him all this time?" Rose asked as they broke apart.

A peculiar expression passed over Donna's face. "Not exactly."

"We met about a year ago, right afte-"

"After Canary Wharf." Rose nodded and a desolate pain shone in her eyes. Donna squeezed her hand. She had seen first hand the pain the Doctor had felt and knew that Rose had suffered too.

"I was beamed into the TARDIS by a giant spider," Donna raised her eyebrows, "normal stuff when you're around him, I suppose."

Rose smiled back, feeling a pang of jealously at the thought of the Doctor having adventures without her. "Well you must be good, he only takes the best."

Donna shrugged, more pleased than she let on at the compliment. "He was devastated by losing you. He would have...I had to stop him Rose..." Donna stuttered to a stop unsure whether she should tell Rose just how far the Doctor was willing to go.

Rose seemed to know what she meant. She took Donna's hand in hers and looked into her eyes. "Thank you, Donna. Thank you for being there for him when I cou-" Her voice broke and her eyes swam with tears.

"Hey you two." The Doctor poked his head through the door, causing both women to jump at the unexpected interruption. "Need I remind you we're in the middle of a crisis here?"

"Right." Rose grinned through her tears at the Doctor. Wiping her hand across her eyes she reached for Donna's hand, squeezing it hard and laughed,

"RUN!"

 _To Be Continued_


	3. Part Three

As they ran past the Doctor, Rose groped for his hand with her free one. As his fingers closed around hers, she was filled with a sense of rightness, a sense of home. She nearly stumbled as the impact of just how much she'd missed him came upon her all at once. She had dreamed about this moment, when she could finally hold his hand again, almost nightly since the horrible moment when they'd been separated. He grasped her hand tighter, helping her catch her balance and she smiled up at him, moisture glistening in her eyes.

"All right there?" he asked, searching her face as they continued to run.

Unable to speak, she merely nodded, trying desperately not to allow her emotions to overwhelm her. She could deal with them later; right now, she had to concentrate on running for her life. Some things never changed.

"I hope you've got a plan Doctor, because as much as I like running up and down fifty flights of stairs, frankly I'm knackered!" Donna panted as the rounded a corner.

"Yes Doctor, what is your plan?" A familiar but chilling voice rang out behind them accompanied by the metallic ratchet of two pump action rifles being primed.

Coming to a sudden halt, the Doctor turned to face Miss Foster and her two burly henchmen. He spread his arms in front of Donna and Rose and made to push them behind him. Rose looked over at Donna who rolled her eyes. Things _really_ hadn't changed, but Rose had and she wasn't going to hide behind the Doctor. In unison, Donna and Rose took a step to the side and stood shoulder to shoulder with the Doctor. His look of surprise was quickly followed by one of pride.

"I don't believe we've met. I'm Donna."

"And I'm Rose."

Miss Foster surveyed them wryly. "Partners in crime. And evidently off-worlders, judging by your sonic technology."

The Doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out an object. "Oh yes, I've still got your sonic pen. Nice, I like it. Sleek, it's kinda sleek."

He passed it to Rose who nodded in agreement before passing it to Donna.

"Oh, it's definitely sleek." Donna slid her finger over the smooth surface as though she were verifying the truth of the statement.

Rose reached into the Doctor's other pocket and pulled out the sonic screwdriver. "It's definitely more girly than your screwdriver," she commented, grinning cheekily.

The Doctor flashed Rose a smile, then focused his attention on Miss Foster. "So, if you were to sign your real name, it would be...?"

Miss Foster stood up straighter, beaming proudly as she said, "Matron Cofelia of the Five-Straighten Classabindi Nursery Fleet, Intergalactic Class."

Donna frowned "What's that mean in English?"

"A wet nurse," The Doctor clarified, rolling the words over his tongue as though he was enjoying himself.

Rose gasped as the pieces clicked into place. "You're using the humans as surrogates," she accused.

Miss Foster pulled off her glasses, looking at Rose with distain. "I've been employed by the Adiposian First Family to foster a new generation after their breeding planet was lost."

The Doctor's left eyebrow flew up sceptically. "What do you mean lost? How do you lose a planet?" He scoffed.

"Oh, politics are none of my concern. I'm just here to take care of the children on behalf of the parents." Miss Foster was rapidly becoming bored with the Doctor's questions.

She was about to turn to her guards when Donna asked, "So... so those little things, they're... they're made out of fat, yeah? But that woman, Stacy Campbell, there was nothing left of her."

"Oh, in a crisis the Adipose can convert bone and hair and internal organs." Miss Foster's reply was off hand and condescending. "Makes them a little bit sick, poor things."

Rose was shocked. She hadn't realised the danger that this woman and her plans posed to the people of Earth. She felt the Doctor tense and knew that he was becoming angry.

"I'm warning you Matron, you don't want to get on the wrong side of me." The Doctor's expression was grim.

Miss Foster smiled falsely and shook her head. "Why Doctor, are you threatening me?"

 **"** I'm trying to help you, Matron. This is your one chance; 'cause if you don't call this off, then I'll have to stop you." The Doctor took a step forward, but was halted by the muzzles of the rifles which were trained on his chest.

The alien nanny gave a callous laugh. "I hardly think you can stop bullets."

Rose stepped forward suddenly, startling the Doctor and Miss Foster. "Hey, Donna. Do you know what happens if you hold two identical sonic devices against each other?"

Donna came to stand next to Rose, slipping the pen out of her pocket where she'd stashed it earlier. "No." She thought she had an inkling of where Rose was going with this.

"Me neither." Rose grinned. "Let's find out shall we?"

She held the sonic screwdriver out so it was facing the pen.

"What? No. Rose, Donna, I don't think this is a good idea." The Doctor reached out to try and pull the pen from Donna's hand.

"Hush you. You're just jealous you didn't think of if yourself." Donna rolled her eyes, turning back to Rose.

Rose was ready. "On the count of three: One... two... three."

On three, they pointed the devices at each other and a horrible, ear splitting noise filled the room. Miss Foster and her guards covered their ears, their faces wrinkled in agony. Nearby, a sheet of glass shattered, blanketing the floor with tiny shards of debris.

The Doctor winced for a second then beamed. "You're both brilliant!" He pushed their arms gently so that the noise stopped. "Now, run!"

Donna and Rose grinned at one another, then followed the rapidly retreating back of the Doctor.

"There's an awful lot of running isn't there?" Donna panted.

"Oh yes!" Rose agreed, "There's always running."

The Doctor led them to the basement of the building, coming to a stop outside a small door. The Doctor started searching in his pockets, getting more and more frantic.

"This what you're looking for?" asked Rose, dangling the sonic screwdriver between her fingers.

"Don't know how he can ever find anything in them pockets." Donna shook her head and both women began to giggle uncontrollably.

"OI, oi, trying to resonate the lock here, can I have a little hush?" The Doctor became even more disgruntled when they both launched into further peals of laughter as several brooms and a bucket fell out of the cupboard and onto the Doctor.

"It's a broom cupboard," Rose snorted.

Donna nodded, her eyes streaming with tears. "Well, that's one solution. Hide in a cupboard. I like it."

The Doctor sniffed and looked at them both with disdain as he opened a large hatch in the back of the tiny room. "Actually I spent all day hacking in to this thing, 'cause the matron's got a computer core running through the center of the building. Triple deadlocked." He turned and plunged his hand into Donna's jacket pocket.

"Watch it, Sunshine," Donna snapped, her eyes blazing, "what do you think you're doing?"

The Doctor held up Matron Cofelia's sonic pen in triumph. "And now that I've got this, I can get into it."

"Hey -" Donna began, but her phone rang and she answered it without thinking. "'lo?" Her mother's voice rang out on the other end of the line. Donna rolled her eyes, immediately regretting not looking at the caller id.

"Mum? Slow down, I can hardly hear you." Donna narrowed her eyes in concentration and stepped into the hallway. She frowned, still unable to hear her mother clearly.

The Doctor poked his head out of the cupboard questioningly, but Donna waved him away as she wandered back toward the stairs. "Hold on Mum, the reception down here is terrible!"

The Doctor shrugged and returned to Rose. He knew Donna could fend for herself, he just hopped she didn't land herself in a fix in the process.

"She must be close to her family," Rose commented as she stood and watched the Doctor examine the computer core.

"I guess," the Doctor said doubtfully. "Although, they did go ahead and have her wedding reception without her."

"Donna's married?" Rose's eyes widened in surprise, somehow she couldn't picture it.

"Weeeeelll, no, not exactly." He stuck the sonic screwdriver between his teeth for a moment so he could reach for something further away.

"What do you mean, 'not exactly'?"

He removed the screwdriver, aiming it at part of the machine. "Her fiancé sort of got eaten by a giant spider."

Rose gasped. "That's terrible!" She looked toward the door where Donna had disappeared. "Poor Donna."

The Doctor stood up and brushed off his trousers. "Oh, she can hold her own. Her mum's a piece of work though, almost as bad as yours."

"Hey!" Rose hit him playfully on the shoulder.

"Although, Donna's mum hasn't slapped me."

"Yet." Rose teased as he held his hand over his cheek protectively.

Gently Rose covered his hand with hers and said softly, "Donna told me about the spider, she said she had to stop you..."

Their eyes locked abruptly and suddenly Rose felt like all of the air had been expelled from her body. Their joking tone suddenly shifted to something intense, something deeper, something more.

Rose gravitated toward him, stopping only when their noses were nearly touching. "Doctor," she whispered, the one word filled with so many unspoken emotions.

He seemed to understand what she was feeling and something in his eyes reassured her, made her feel whole in a way that she hadn't in so very, very long. He angled his head downward and brushed her lips tentatively. A tear rolled down her cheek as the touch of his lips on hers finally fulfilled the aching need that she had been feeling for so long. She threw her arms around his neck and returned his kiss, infusing each movement with all the pain, worry, and love she'd been keeping inside for longer than she could remember.

As her body moulded to his, the Doctor felt the tight knot of grief that he had carried since Canary Wharf begin to unravel. He pulled her to him, tangling his fingers through her soft hair as their kiss became more passionate. Rose was here, with him, and the Universe had never seemed such a wonderful place. His tongue brushed across her lips, and she willingly allowed him entry. She tasted of sunshine and dew. He felt her breast pressed against his chest and he moaned into her mouth at the erotic sensation. He would waste no more time wondering; he wanted Rose, wanted her in every way and, now that he had her back, he was never going to give her up. He could feel her trembling in his arms and knew she felt the same way. Every instinct told him to gather her up and take her back to the TARDIS; to see her naked and beautiful beneath him, coming apart at his touch. He slid his hand around her rib cage and up towards her breast. Rose mewled in encouragement, turning her hip to press it against the growing bulge at his groin.

Suddenly a bright green light erupted from the computer core behind them. The Doctor growled in frustration, a deep feral sound that set all Rose's nerve endings alight. She cried out as he pulled away from her, wanting desperately to hear him make that sound again.

"She's wired up the whole building." The Doctor's face was flushed and he was slightly breathless, but his attention was now entirely on the computer core.

"Inducer Activated," A computerised voice chimed from the core module.

"What's it doing now?" Rose asked, watching as the Doctor flipped switches and toggled relays.

"She's started the programme." The Doctor's voice was strained. "So far, they've all just been losing weight, but now she's gone up to emergency parthanogenisis."

Rose gasped in shock as she realised what that meant, "Like that woman that Donna met? She's going to convert them?"

"Skeletons, organs everything. Millions of people will die, Rose, unless I can stop it. I have to cancel the signal. But how?" The Doctor pressed his palm against his forehead. "Think, think!"

Struck with an idea, Rose reached into her pocket, her fingers closing around a small cylindric object on a chain. She pulled it up and dangled a small, gold capsule in front of the Doctor. "Would this help?"

His face immediately broke into a relieved grin. "Oh, yes! This contains the primary signal. If I can switch it off, the fat goes back to being just fat. You're brilliant!" He kissed her forehead gratefully, then took the capsule from her, unscrewed it and plugged it into the machine.

"Inducer increasing," the machine stated a second later.

The Doctor squealed in frustration. "No, no, no, no, no, she's doubled it." He tugged on his ear anxiously. "I need... Haven't got time! It's too far, I can't override it!" He dragged his hand through his hair frantically, dismay etched over his features. "Rose, they're all gonna die!"

Rose watched him carefully, compassion filling her eyes. She couldn't help contrasting this to the time when he'd joyously shouted, 'Rose, everybody lived!' She knew how much the losses cost him and she desperately wanted to ensure that this was not going to be one of them. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Sorry, Rose," his voice held an edge of panic that made her heart ache for him. "We've gotta double the base pulse, I can't..." His chest was heaving and for the first time since she'd known him he appeared to be out of breath.

Fear was beginning to seize her. She didn't like seeing him like this. "Doctor, tell me what you need!" she said sharply.

He dragged his hand through his hair again, causing it to stand up on end.

He fiddled desperately with the switches, trying something, anything to save the people.

"I need a second capsule to boost the override, but we've only got the one." Pain flooded his eyes. "I can't save them!"

He started as a gold capsule on a chain appeared over his shoulder. "You mean a second capsule like this?" Donna stood in the open doorway with her eyebrows raised, the corners of her mouth curved into a quirky smile.

The Doctor's face lit up; the mixture of relief and elation on his face compelling Rose to want to reach out to hug Donna for putting it there. The Doctor began to laugh, a deep, joyous, throaty sound that turned Rose's insides to goo. Donna began to laugh too and soon the three of them were in hysterics as the Doctor attached the second capsule to the machine. Immediately the lights faded as the machine shut down.

Rose did hug Donna then, throwing her arms around her and grinning happily. "Oh Donna, you really are the best."

Donna smiled broadly, then noticed the look in the Doctor's eyes as he gazed at Rose. "I don't know, I think I may have competition."

The Doctor beamed. "You are both the best." He flung his arms around the two of them, turning their embrace into a group hug. "We make a pretty good team!"

Their celebrations were interrupted by a burst of alien speech from the still glowing computer core.

"Oh dear," the Doctor murmured, listening intently, "It's instructions from the Adiposian First Family and it's not good, not good at all. She's wired up the tower block to convert it into a levitation post." As he continued listening the Doctor's eyes became wider. "Oh. Ooh. We're not the ones in trouble now. SHE is!"

"What?" Donna and Rose shouted in unison as he pushed past them and began to run along the corridor.

"Still doesn't explain anything then," commented Rose as they chased after him.

"Fat chance," Donna gasped.

As the three of them burst onto the roof of the building they were amazed to see a huge space ship floating directly above them.

Donna's eyes were wide. "Do you ever get used to seeing stuff like this?" she asked Rose.

Rose shook her head. "Not really. Just when you think you've seen it all, something else comes along that's even more spectacular and amazing."

Miss Foster stood on the street below, her arms outstretched, "Children! Oh my children, behold. I am taking you home."

The Adipose cheered and began to drift up the blue levitation beams that had appeared from the nursery ship.

"Up you go, babies. Up you go!" Miss Foster cried as she began to float upward.

As they elevated past, the Adipose waved at the three people standing on the roof. Donna and Rose waved back. The Doctor was too busy watching Miss Foster to pay any heed.

"I'm waving at _fat,_ " Donna exclaimed incredulously.

Rose giggled. "Actually, as a diet plan, it sort of works."

As the two woman laughed together, the Doctor ran to the edge of the roof. "Matron Cofelia, listen to me!"

She turned a scathing glare in his direction. "Oh, I don't think so, Doctor. And if I never see you again, it will be too soon."

The Doctor groaned. "Oh, why does no one ever listen? I'm trying to help!" he insisted urgently, "Just get across to the roof. Can you shift the levitation beam?"

"What, so you can arrest me?" Miss Foster laughed.

"Just listen," he spat, exasperated. "I saw the Adiposian instructions - they know it's a crime, breeding on Earth. So what's the one thing they want to get rid of? Their accomplice!"

"I'm far more than that. I'm nanny to all these children."

Rose and Donna watched as the last of the Adipose reached the ship.

"Miss Foster," Rose cried desperately. "Listen to the Doctor."

"Mum and Dad have got the kids now," Donna added, "they don't need an intergalactic space nanny anymore!"

Miss Foster looked as though she were contemplating their argument when the blue light vanished abruptly. Bewildered, Miss Foster looked down as she fell, her scream ringing through the night air.

Rose and Donna clung to each other, hiding their faces against each others shoulders, each of them grateful to have someone to share their horror with.

The ship made a sound and they looked up again to see the Adipose waving goodbye through the window of the departing nursery.

As the ship disappeared into the evening sky Rose pulled away from Donna and looked at the Doctor who was standing at the edge of the roof. Donna pushed her gently. "Go on, he needs you, he always needs you."

Rose nodded and walked over to the Doctor's still form. She slid her hand around his waist and rested her head against his arm.

"I thought," he said brokenly, "I thought it might be one of those times...but..."

Rose reached up to caress his face, "You tried to save her Doctor, you offered her a way out and it was her choice not to take it. But there are millions of people out there alive because of what you did. They may not know it, but we do."

Donna moved to be with them and stood on the other side of the Doctor, pressing her shoulder against his. "Yeah, we know."

 _To Be Continued..._


	4. Part Four

The three of them walked arm in arm, the Doctor leading them down the stairs, out of the building and into the Alleyway where he had left the TARDIS.

Rose and Donna both stopped dead at the sight of the TARDIS causing the Doctor to look from one to the other in confusion.

"What?" he asked.

"The TARDIS, I thought I'd never see it again," Rose whispered. She pulled a key out of her pocket and held it out to him. "May I?"

He grinned. "Certainly."

She beamed back at him, then turned and raced for the TARDIS, fumbling in her excitement to get back inside.

Beside the Doctor, Donna was standing open mouthed as though searching for her words.

Finally, she found them. "That's my car," she cried incredulously. "That's like destiny! And I've been ready for this!"

Donna grinned excitedly at the Doctor but her smile faltered a little as she saw his gaze slide to the TARDIS.

"She's wonderful," Donna said quietly.

The Doctor turned quickly to look at her sheepishly. "Donna...I ...you..."

"It's all right Doctor, I understand." Donna smiled, placing her hand on his upper arm squeezing gently. "You've been waiting for this for a long time, you should get in there."

The Doctor seemed to struggle with his emotions for a moment as he looked once again towards the TARDIS, but then turned back to Donna. "I missed you too, you know? Did you have adventures of your own after I left? Were you magnificent?"

Donna's smile was sad as she replied, "Oh I had such great ideas, plans for the future. Easier said then done. It's like I had that one day with you and I was gonna change. I was gonna do so much. Then I woke up next morning, same old life. It's like you were never there. And I tried. I did try, I went to Egypt. I was gonna go barefoot and everything. And then it's all bus trips and guidebooks and don't drink the water and two weeks later you're back home. It's nothing like being with you. I must have been mad turning down that offer."

Donna's voice was barely a whisper. Every hope she had for travelling with the Doctor again was rapidly disappearing. She knew he would want to be with Rose and the idea of being a gooseberry didn't appeal at all.

"Donna you could come, the offer still stands." The Doctor stepped forward and put both his hands on her shoulders. "Lot's of room in there." He nodded over his shoulder.

Donna shook her head. "But it's not just your decision any more is it? Doctor, Rose has been searching for you for God knows how long and been through so much. Did it never enter that huge alien brain of yours that she might want some time with you?" Donna flicked his forehead.

"Oww!" He rubbed at the spot while staring pensively into space. "If it will make you feel better, I'll talk to her, but I know she'll want you to come with us. She likes you."

Donna laughed. "Oh, I'm pretty sure she likes you more."

The Doctor grinned. "Tell you what, go do whatever you need to be ready to go and meet us back here in an hour."

"But -"

"Donna, we both want you with us." He held up his index finger. "Remember, one hour."

She strode to the car. "Right, one hour."

"Brilliant." He waved and disappeared into the TARDIS.

Donna rummaged in her pocket for the car keys, frowning when she couldn't find them. She checked her other pocket, before realizing that the Doctor must have nicked them. "Oh, very funny." She shouted at the TARDIS. "How do you expect me to get back here in an hour without my car?"

The TARDIS just stood there, unresponsively. Donna sighed in exasperation and checked her pockets again, uprooting a tenner she hadn't known she'd had. "Oh, Spaceboy thinks he's so clever," she muttered glaring at the TARDIS. "You'd better be kissing Rose right now!"

xxxxx

The Doctor closed the door behind him and swung Donna's keys around his finger with a smirk. He knew her well enough to know that she might just decide to go off and not come back and he couldn't let that happen. He swung round expecting to find Rose in the Console room but the room was empty and a little dart of fear clutched at his belly. The TARDIS hummed reassuringly and he sighed with relief. Pocketing the keys he set off a fast pace to look for Rose, knowing just where she would be.

Rose looked up at the tentative knock on her bedroom door. Her heart was beating hard in her chest and she felt a little breathless as she called, "Come in Doctor."

The door opened slowly and she smiled at the hesitant Doctor as he stood in the threshold. "You kept everything the same, all my books, clothes even my makeup. It's all here." Rose looked up at him, tears beginning to form in her wide eyes.

In one step he was in the room and kneeling at her feet. "I needed them to...Well I had to believe that somehow you would come back to me." He gazed up into her eyes, "You are here aren't you Rose, you are really here?"

"Oh yes," With a small cry Rose wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed kisses all over his face. He held her tightly to him, still afraid that if he let go for just a second she would be gone. Finally their lips met and the dark pain and loss of time past was forgotten in the bright light of their passion and love.

Rose broke the kiss, her hands coming to rest on his cheeks so she could study his face. The face that had been etched into her heart and mind since the last time she'd seen him. "I still can't quite believe that I've actually found you."

He smiled, "I'm glad you did." He looked down at his feet for a moment, shifting awkwardly. "Rose?"

He spoke so softly that she had to strain to hear him. "Yes, Doctor?"

"Did you mean it?"

She lifted his chin with her finger so she could see his eyes again. She thought she knew what he was asking, but she had to be sure. "Mean what?"

"That day on the beach, you said... you said..." There was a flurry of emotion in his eyes as he tried to find the right words.

She decided to help him out. "I said, 'I love you.'" She kissed him softly. "And yes, I meant it then, and I mean it now. I wouldn't have spent every possible moment of my life there trying to get back to you if I didn't. I love you, Doctor. With every fibre of my being." She was crying now, so overcome with the relief of being able to tell him openly how she felt.

"Oh, Rose." He gathered her into his arms and cradled her against his chest, blinking back tears of his own. Suddenly he was back there, on the beach that day, wanting to tell her how he felt, knowing that it might be his only chance, only to have her image ripped away from him again before he could finish. A sense of desperation filled him. He had to tell her, had to show her, needed to let her know that her searching had not been in vain.

He loosened his embrace and stepped back, taking in her tear stained cheeks, and vibrant blue eyes. His eyes bored into hers as he wiped at her tears with his thumb. "Rose Tyler," his voice broke and he choked on the words. 'No' he screamed at himself, 'You have to say it, you have to tell her.' He took a deep breath and tried again. "Oh, Rose, I love you. I've fought against it, I've tried to ignore it, I've even tried to forget. But I can't, you're in my hearts and in my mind and I can't seem to get you out. I love you."

Suddenly there were no obstacles between them; no white wall, no closed off dimensions, no naive fears, no foolish adherence to a tradition long dead. There was just a man and a woman, so very much in love and needing one another. Rose moved forward holding him tightly to her. "Doctor, I don't want to wait any longer. Please...make love to me."

Rose's words opened a floodgate of emotions in the Doctor's mind and soul. With a groan he claimed her mouth with his, those earlier tender kisses replaced by hot passion which made Rose tremble with their intensity. One hand swept through her hair and drew a line of fire along her cheek and onto her neck, whilst the other moved from her waist to sit under her breast, its weight cupped in his hand. He was frustrated by her leather jacket and began to fumble at the zip, his hands trembling. Gasping for breath, Rose broke the kiss and quickly had the jacket open and off her shoulders. There was no time for more than a breath before he claimed her mouth again, his cool tongue questing across her lips desperate for admission.

She gasped softly, and her lips parted, letting him in. He wasted no time in finding her tongue, enticing it to dance with his as they tasted and explored each other. Rose tugged at his shirt, loosening it from his trousers. As he continued to ravish her mouth, she worked at his buttons, unfastening them one at a time in rapid succession with deft fingers. Soon she felt his smooth skin beneath her fingers. She pulled on his tie until it was loose, then reluctantly broke the kiss to lift it over his head and toss it on the floor. Immediately her hands found the warm flesh of his chest and she swept his shirt and jacket up and over his shoulders, down his arms, her hands dancing over his skin in its wake.

The Doctor was galvanised by the touch of her hands on his bare skin, and he marvelled at the sensations that raced over his nerve endings. He yearned to touch the soft warmth of her breasts but was prevented by the flimsy cotton of her shirt. Hooking his fingers into the open neck of her blouse he pulled down sharply, sending the tiny buttons flying across the room. He heard Rose gasp in surprise as he plunged his hand inside her bra and scooped her breast into his hand. He groaned as he felt the warmth of her flesh and slid his thumb across the hardening nub of her nipple. The high moan that came from Rose shot straight to his groin, making the pressure there almost too much to bear. He pressed himself hard against her leg, desperate for friction to relieve the growing ache.

Rose had shivers up and down her spine as she felt him press against her. Suddenly she could wait no longer, she wanted the last vestiges of the barriers between them gone. She groped for his fly, missed and accidentally stroked the very bulge she'd been trying to release. The Doctor emitted a growl that increased her desperation. She found the zip, and within seconds his trousers were pooled at his feet. He quickly kicked off his Converse and the trousers with them. Any questions Rose may have had about the Doctors anatomy were answered in that instant and she found herself chuckling. "I never would have pegged you as the commando type, Doctor."

Lust fogged his brain as the Doctor tried to decipher what Rose was saying. He could see her mouth moving, her beautiful soft wet lips forming words but for a moment his synapses refused to understand them. "Wha...?" His eyes grew wider as with a laugh Rose bobbed her head forward and enclosed the end of his erection in her mouth, swiping her tongue across the head before just as quickly letting it go. Oh, but he wanted that again. He wanted to feel the moist heat of her mouth wrapped around him. His whole body shook with anticipation and as he looked into her eyes he heard himself breathe, "Oh yes. Oh Rose...Please..." His hands moved to her hips but he was frustrated by the denim that was still a barrier to her skin. He took a step back as Rose pressed gently on the centre of his chest. His breath caught in his throat as she stood and began to unzip her jeans, oh so slowly. Every movement of her fingers over her body was like a thrilling cadence to the growing excitement in his belly and groin.

She unfastened the button and he caught a glimpse of the pink fabric of her knickers. His groin tightened and he swallowed hard, fighting to stay in control. She worked her jeans over her hips in slow motion, the Doctor's gaze following her every movement. Finally, after what seemed like hours, she stepped out of her jeans and tossed her knickers to the floor, revealing long, smooth legs and a tantalizing triangle of curly hair. He growled again, and Rose felt herself practically melt inside. There was something about that sound that made her pulse quicken and she knew she wanted to hear that sound again. She stepped toward him, placed one hand on his bare chest and propelled him backward toward the bed. She pushed him down gently, so he was lying on his back, his legs slightly parted. She took in the slender perfection of his body as he lay there breathing heavily. His length was stiff and pulsing, pre-come dampening his belly. She longed to taste him again but could see that he was perilously close to the edge. Too much stimulation and this could all be over before it started.

The Doctor could feel his control rapidly waning. The sight of her naked in front of him was almost too much. He thought he might come just looking at her, if that were possible: was it possible? His mind began to take him down more and more fantastic avenues before he realised that Rose had stopped moving and was simply looking down at him, her beautiful naked body bathed in the warm golden glow of the TARDIS. Only a supreme effort of will prevented him from leaping up and taking her, from burying himself inside her and feeling the ecstasy that was so tantalisingly close.

"Doctor...Doctor?" Rose's voice was tight with desire, "We need to slow down a little, otherwise..."

He swallowed and nodded his head. Of course she was right, they had waited too long for him to spoil everything by being too eager. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment, fighting with his traitorous body, needing to shut out the intense visual stimulation that was Rose Tyler naked. After a few moments he felt more in control and allowing his eyes to settle on her once more, the Doctor reached out a hand to Rose.

She knelt beside him, batting away his hands as he tried to pull her to him. It was time to show him just how much she loved him. She kissed him first, slowly and tenderly, revelling in the texture and feel of his lips gliding over hers. She committed the sensation to memory as she drew his bottom lip into her mouth and nipped at it playfully. The Doctor moaned and wove his hands in her hair, crushing her to him. He arched his hips and Rose pulled away, worried that his tenuous control would break.

She positioned herself between his legs, then leaned back on her heels, frowning. "Um, Doctor?"

The hesitation in her voice caught his attention and he managed to tear his eyes away from his languid study of her body. "Rose? What is it?"

She blushed, looking down slightly. "Do you, um, have, um..." she trailed off awkwardly after gesturing to his straining erection.

The Doctor frowned, puzzled by her garbled question. Did he have what? An erection? Well he thought that would be obvious. "What Rose?"

The look on his face was priceless and she couldn't help laughing. Of course he had no idea what she was talking about. Suddenly feeling more comfortable, Rose said, "I was trying to ask if you had any condoms."

The Doctor reached up and pulled on his left ear, desperately trying to cover his embarrassment. "Ah, oh, right,yes, well...Actually Rose we don't need them. The TARDIS can regulate your ovulation and my fertility, if that's all right?" He stuttered to a stop, knowing that interference with her body was one of Rose's pet hates with regard to the TARDIS. He felt a flush of relief as a slow, sultry smile spread across Rose's face.

She tucked her tongue between her lips and rose to straddle his hips. Her hand gently grasped the base of his cock and they locked eyes as she positioned him at her slick entrance and slowly eased herself onto it.

The Doctor had been so distracted by Rose's tongue that it was a moment before he realised what she was doing. The hot, wet sensation of her sliding onto him made him gasp and his hips bucked slightly. Rose kept the downward pressure steady until he was buried completely inside her and he thought he might not hold it together. But Rose's clever slowing of the tempo had given him just enough time to get back in control and now she sat on top of him, moving her hips very slightly; her eyes tightly closed as she too allowed the extraordinary sensation to overwhelm her. Her breasts bobbed gently with her soft movements and the Doctor was mesmerised. Reaching out he caressed her breast, rolling her hardened nipple between his finger and thumb. He was rewarded with a low moan from Rose that made him repeat the move on her other breast, desperate to hear that sound again.

Rose was finding it awfully hard to breathe. The feel of the Doctor's hands on her breasts was sending ripples of delectable sensation to the core of her body and she could wait no longer. She sought his gaze and watched him carefully as she began to move above him in a slow and steady rhythm. With each downward motion, she felt him rub against her tight, slick walls and her pace began to quicken slightly, encouraged by the upward thrusting of the Doctor's hips.

Every slide of Rose's body over his sent shocks of sensation through the Doctor. He could feel the heavy burn of his orgasm intensifying with every lift and bounce of her flesh on his. The Doctor knew it would not take much more before his strength of will would no longer be enough to hold back the overwhelming tide of ecstasy building in his belly and balls. He looked desperately at Rose who seemed to recognise his losing battle and moved her hands down her body to the apex of their joining. She slid her fingers through her curls and pressed down on the pulsing nub of nerves that held the key to her own completion. The sight of her pleasuring herself whilst riding his cock made the Doctor's hearts pound and his balls contract. Knowing that he was too close to stop, he reached up and pulled her hand away, replacing it with his own, rubbing his thumb in tight circles around her clit, begging her to come for him.

The touch of his hand on her clit set her entire lower body on fire. She screamed his name and threw back her head as her muscles began to contract around his cock. He continued to thrust into her as her orgasm burst forth. She screamed again, her whole body shaking as she bucked and writhed wildly completely relinquishing all control.

The rhythmic squeezing of her internal muscles around him propelled the Doctor into his own orgasm. His cock pulsed and jerked as he came hard, shouting her name as each cool jet left his body and he spasmed inside her. As she collapsed on his chest the warm, trembling weight of her pressed to his body felt so right, so perfect that tears ran down his cheeks.

After a few minutes, their bodies relaxed and the Doctor gently rolled to the side, gathering Rose into his arms and pressing gentle kisses to her hair.

"I'll have to get sucked into another dimension and fight for three years to get back to you more often, if that's the welcome back I get," Rose giggled, as she ran her fingers gently across his back. She was surprised when he pulled her to him in a fierce embrace.

"Never again Rose, I'm never letting you go again."

Rose felt the splash of hot tears on her shoulder as the Doctor reacted to her words. She realised that he really had missed her just as much as she'd missed him. Kissing him gently she whispered the same words she had used so very long ago.

"I made my choice a long time ago, and I'm not leaving you. Forever, remember?"

She felt the Doctor relax against her and she sighed with contentment that she was finally here in his arms.

As the Doctor's skin cooled to its normal temperature Rose shivered, and reached out for the corner of the sheet. As she rolled away to reach it, she stopped suddenly, grimacing in pain.

"What is it?" the Doctor asked, concerned.

Rose slid her hand behind her and came up with a set of keys, dangling them in front of the Doctor. "What are these?"

The Doctor's eye's widened. "Oh no, they're Donna's!"

"How'd her keys get in our bed?"

The Doctor's mouth quirked into a very smug smile. "Our bed?"

"Yes, Mr 'I'm so pleased with myself.' Our bed." Rose raised her eyebrows waiting for an answer.

"Oh! I took them, to ensure she'd come back in an hour. She'll be here any minute." He sprang out of bed and started to pull on his clothes.

Rose followed suit and picked up her bra, fastening it as she spoke. "Calm down, I'm sure she'll wait. It's not like she doesn't know what we've been doing."

The Doctor dropped his tie and gaped at her. "What?"

"Come on, she's been stuck between us and our sexual tension all day. She's not blind. Besides, I'm pretty sure she'd want this for us...for you. She loves you Doctor."

He grinned. "She does, doesn't she? She loves you too, you know? Has ever since I first mentioned you." He tucked in his shirt and picked up his jacket. "Look, Rose. I think Donna should come with us. I know we just found each other again and I'm thrilled about that, but I invited Donna once and she turned me down, now she wants to come and I don't want to turn her away. Besides, she's amazing and I think she'd be really useful to have around. And you two seem to get a long and I thought... what? What?" He realized Rose was staring at him, unreleased mirth etched across her cheeks. "What?"

Rose laughed as she put on the last of her clothing. "Shut Up, Doctor. Of course she's coming with us. I wouldn't have it any other way. She's meant for amazing things that one."

The Doctor smiled, relieved. "She is, isn't she?" He strode over to Rose, firmly taking her hand "Come on, let's go tell her."

xxxxx

In the alleyway outside the TARDIS Donna was leaning against the boot of the car. Her posture was relaxed but inside her head her thoughts were racing. She had done it, she had actually found the Doctor. That initial exhilaration was quickly replaced with a heavy dose of realism, engrained in Donna's psyche courtesy of her mother, who never let her dwell on her successes for long. Yes, she had found the Doctor, but she had also unknowingly found Rose too. The one person in the Universe the Doctor really needed to see. As much as she wanted to get back inside the TARDIS and travel with that wonderful, infuriating alien, she knew the probability was low that she would be wanted there now. Three's a crowd, that's what Nerys had always said, usually when running off with the man that Donna had picked up. Donna shook her head: she would just be in the way. She decided that she would ask for her keys and say goodbye.

It was starting to rain and her coat was locked in the car. "Oh isn't this wizard," she griped as she looked up at the night sky. She was just debating whether to knock on the door of the TARDIS when it swung open and the Doctor and Rose stepped out onto the street. She could see immediately what had happened in the hour while she had been gone. Happiness for them both warred with disappointment that she had been right about what her future held. They were lovers now and really didn't need a third wheel to get in the way.

Donna planted a broad smile on her face and walked toward them. "If you'll just give me my keys, Doctor, I'll be on my way." She held out her hand for the keys. "It was good to see you again Doctor, and wonderful to meet your Rose."

She squeaked when the Doctor suddenly pulled her into an embrace. "Don't be daft, Donna, you're coming with us."

"But -" Donna pulled away and looked to Rose.

Rose grinned, "You're a part of the team now. No chance of escape. Besides, we want a mate."

Donna looked appalled. "You want to mate?"

Rose and the Doctor exchanged shocked glances at Donna's horror.

"Donna! Rose and I...well we've just found each other but we need you too." The Doctor explained carefully.

"Oi! I'm not into threesomes sunshine, especially not with long, thin streaks of alien nothing." Donna was backing away now, not really sure what to expect next.

Rose began to laugh and Donna thought it was probably the loveliest sound she'd ever heard.

"A friend Donna, what the idiot Timelord is trying to say is that we need a friend. We need you Donna," Rose stepped forward and linked her arm with the Doctor. "I need another girl on board and he needs someone to keep him in line. We'd love it if that was you."

The Doctor nodded enthusiastically and then frowned at the implication of Rose's words.

"I'll have you know I am not an idiot, in fact..."

"Shut up Martian boy, Rose is talking." Donna suppressed a smirk as Rose grinned at the Doctor's expression. He was beginning to wonder if this was such a good idea after all.

Rose rolled her eyes and handed Donna her keys. "You might need these." Donna grinned and after taking the keys from Rose, grabbed her arm and yanked her over to the boot of the car. She opened it, revealing a massive pile of suitcases.

"I packed ages ago," Donna started to say, "Just in case. 'Cause I though, hot weather, cold weather, no weather..."

She started to lug them out of the car as she spoke, thrusting them into the arms of a very stunned Doctor, who had followed them over.

"... he goes anywhere, I've gotta be prepared."

Rose laughed. "Well, the TARDIS wardrobe room will provide you with whatever you need, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared."

"Why didn't _he_ tell me that?" Donna asked, thrusting a thumb toward the overloaded Doctor and tossing a striped hatbox on top of the rest.

"You've got a...a... hatbox?" the Doctor said incredulously.

"Planet of the Hats, I'm ready!"

Rose burst into hysterical giggles at that. "Oh, Donna, it's going to be great having you around. And don't worry, I'll make sure you're filled in on any details Mr 'I know Everything' here forgets to mention."

The Doctor snorted from behind the giant mountain of luggage in his arms. "Oh, I don't know, Rose. There are some details I'll never forget!"

The Doctor dumped the pile of bags just inside the TARDIS door and turned back to Donna. "So, this is your first official trip in the TARDIS. Where do you want to go?"

"Oh I know exactly where to go," Donna replied with a smile, "Two and a half miles that way." She pointed over to her left. The Doctor frowned and opened his mouth to ask why when Donna gave a sudden cry.

"Mum's car keys! I can't go without leaving them." She fumbled in her pocket for her phone and dialled her mums number. "I'll be back in a minute, don't leave without me." She grinned over her shoulder as her mum answered the phone.

Rose looked fondly at the Doctor. "It's been a while for me too you know."

"Oh I know Rose," the Doctor breathed into her ear, "and I'm going to take you to places you could never imagine in your wildest dreams"

Rose shivered with the dark promise that his words conveyed and fell willingly into his passionate kiss.

Donna found a waste bin on the street, placed the keys in it and told her mum where she could find them. She rang off before Sylvia could question her any further, but just in case she walked over to a blonde man who was leaning against the barrier watching the clean up operation in the street.

She tapped him on the shoulder, "Listen, there is this woman that's going to come along, a tall blond woman called Sylvia, tell her that bin there. Right, it'll all make sense. That bin there." Then she turned and ran back up the alley.

The blonde man did not flinch when seconds later a grinding, groaning noise filled the air. He simply stared straight ahead, his cold blue eyes emotionless, completely still except for the tapping of his unusual signet ring on the metal barrier under his hands.

Ta Ta Ta Tap.

Ta Ta Ta Tap.

 _FIN…?_


End file.
